The last old game that’ll be taking up the feature this week (I promise), Space Hack is an Sci-Fi action RPG that plays somewhat similarly to Diablo or Torchlight, albeit at a slower pace. While the game is edging on eight years old, it’s currently £0.79 on Steam, and if that isn’t a deal then I don’t know what is. However, are we picking up a slice of fried gold for our pennies, or is there a reason that Space Hack has been relegated to the Steam “bargain bin”?
The game unfortunately hasn’t aged very well, unlike last week’s pick Abe’s Oddysee. The graphics do appear to be very dated – unfortunately 6th generation 3D graphics hasn’t seen the same revival as pixels and sprites have in recent years. The game’s menus boast a font that immediately takes you back to 2004, when the 4:3 aspect ratio could really mar the appearance of text-heavy windows. Even if it doesn’t look too pretty, the UI is surprisingly easy to understand and navigate, with hotkeys assigned to make the experience faster. Controlling in a similar manner to Diablo and Torchlight, you click the left mouse button where you want your character ‘Hack’ (I’m not kidding, that’s his name) to move to, attack, pick up, or basically any other action you could need him to do.
The game is a little on the generic side if I’m being brutally honest. While Sci-Fi Action RPG’s aren’t the most common of games, the game seems to feel like the many games that came before and after it. The game is surprisingly lengthy for the asking price, but due to the simplistic controls and lack of depth in combat, encounters with enemies often boil down to “who can attack first”. This isn’t helped by the fact that Hack can only attack while stationary, opening himself up to the attacks of any other aliens in the area. With large gaps between character levels, it can become a gruelling process to pick off the enemies you can, teleport back to base to stock up on health potions and sell any extra equipment and repeat.
The best games are addictive because it makes you want to keep going, want to progress – but due to the sheer amount of time and lack of variety in enemies it can feel more like a grind to become stronger than a natural progression of strength. Despite the pacing, the game is relatively fun for what it is, and at the current price is a good buy for those who have a little change left over in your Steam wallet.
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